![\"The](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130387884,imgsize-2145745,width-400,height-225,resizemode-72\/pedestrians-in-india-face-a-daily-risk-on-roads-despite-having-the-legal-right-of-way-representative-ai-image.jpg\" "\\"Pedestrians")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEvery fifth person killed on India\u2019s roads is a pedestrian \u2014 someone who was simply walking. Not driving, not speeding, not breaking rules. Just walking. Yet, on streets where they legally have the first right of way, pedestrians remain the least protected, caught in a system that prioritises speed over survival.While the Supreme Court has reaffirmed that pedestrians\u2019 right to use footpaths is part of the right to life under Article 21, the reality on the ground reflects systemic neglect, flawed design, and near-total absence of accountability.Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 1.5 lakh pedestrians were killed in road crashes. In 2023 alone, of the 1,72,890 road deaths recorded nationwide.These are not isolated incidents. They are the outcome of a system that consistently fails its most vulnerable users.<\/p>\n This is not merely a behavioural problem. It is structural.A nationwide audit across 24 states reveals the scale of the infrastructure gap. Footpath availability ranges from as low as 3% in Jammu and Kashmir to about 73% in Maharashtra. In states like Bihar, Haryana and Puducherry, usable pavements remain scarce. <\/p>\n Even where footpaths exist, they are often too narrow, poorly designed, encroached upon, or simply unusable.In New Delhi, nearly 44% of roads lack footpaths entirely. Where pavements exist, they are frequently occupied by parked vehicles, vendors, debris, or construction activity. Studies show that in parts of the city, nearly 70% of pedestrians are forced to walk on the road itself.This is not incidental. It reflects a deeper bias in urban planning.<\/p>\n The risks faced by pedestrians are not random, they are predictable and repeatable.1. Missing infrastructure<\/span>Most Indian cities lack continuous sidewalks, safe crossings, and pedestrian signals. Even where footpaths exist, they are often obstructed by parking, vendors, or construction.2. Speed without control<\/span>Higher speeds drastically increase fatality risk. A small increase in average speed significantly raises both crash probability and severity. For pedestrians, the difference between survival and death often comes down to a few kilometres per hour.3. Poor enforcement<\/span>Traffic laws exist, but enforcement remains inconsistent. Speed limits, signal violations, and reckless driving frequently go unchecked.4. Weak planning integration<\/span>Urban mobility planning still treats walking as an afterthought rather than the foundation of all movement. Every journey begins and ends on foot \u2014 yet this is rarely reflected in policy.<\/p>\n Government data for 2023 underlines the scale of the issue:<\/p>\n The data also reveals deeper structural issues. A majority of deaths, 68.5% occur in rural areas, where highways and high speeds combine with minimal pedestrian infrastructure. <\/p>\n Overspeeding alone accounts for over 68% of deaths, showing how vulnerable unprotected road users are.Young adults are the worst affected, with 66.4% of victims in the 18\u201345 age group, highlighting the economic and social cost of these fatalities.<\/p>\n Fixing India\u2019s pedestrian safety crisis requires more than isolated projects. It demands a systemic shift.1. Redesign roads for people, not vehicles<\/span>Footpaths, crossings, and traffic calming must become non-negotiable elements of urban design.2. Enforce speed limits aggressively<\/span>Speed management \u2014 through cameras, penalties, and road design \u2014 is the single most effective intervention.3. Protect the most vulnerable<\/span>Children, elderly citizens, and persons with disabilities must be prioritised through accessible infrastructure and safer crossings.4. Use data to target high-risk zones<\/span>Identifying accident \u201cblack spots\u201d and redesigning them can significantly reduce fatalities.5. Strengthen law enforcement and awareness<\/span>Rules matter only when they are followed \u2014 and enforced consistently.<\/p>\n From metros to smaller cities, a consistent pattern emerges: pedestrians are dying not because walking is dangerous \u2014 but because roads are designed without them in mind.In Bengaluru, nearly 28% of all road fatalities are pedestrians. Police data shows hundreds of walkers killed every year, often in crashes that could have been prevented. \u201cMany accidents occur because people are forced onto roads due to broken or encroached pavements,\u201d a traffic officer admitted.In Nagpur, the situation is even more alarming. Nearly one in three accident victims is a pedestrian, with experts directly linking deaths to the absence of continuous footpaths. \u201cCitizens are literally pushed into traffic,\u201d an official said.Even cities with slower traffic are not immune. In Pune, 70 pedestrians have already died in just the first eight months of 2025. Police point to highways cutting through urban areas, lack of crossings, and missing underpasses as key reasons. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Chennai, high-speed corridors on the city\u2019s outskirts have turned fatal for walkers. \u201cShe was walking on the road because the footpath was encroached,\u201d said a resident, recalling the death of a 61-year-old woman hit by a bus.The problem cuts across regions. In Goa, pedestrian deaths have risen sharply, while in Gurgaon, nearly half of road fatalities in some months involved pedestrians. \u201cCrossing the road feels like risking your life,\u201d said a commuter.<\/p>\n Amid this grim picture, there are small but significant attempts to rethink road design. Delhi has piloted its first student-friendly street and India\u2019s first dedicated school zone designed with a pedestrian-first approach, aiming to make daily commutes safer for children.The initiative focuses on traffic calming, better crossings, wider footpaths, and safer access around schools \u2014 a model experts say could be replicated across cities. However, such efforts remain isolated against the scale of the national crisis.<\/p>\nA crisis built into road design
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe pedestrian paradox<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Numbers behind the crisis
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat needs to change
<\/h3>\n<\/p>\nA deadly pattern across cities
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA rare bright spot in Delhi
<\/h3>\n<\/p>\nBehaviour vs infrastructure
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